Frpm left: Todd Jones, Cordia Leung, Carol Nguyen, Sarah Kee and Kenji Srarngay were among the guests at the National Association of Asian American Professionals-DFW Awards Gala held Dec. 6 at the Magnolia Hotel in Dallas.

According to the 2010 U.S. census, the Vietnamese population was the fourth-largest Asian group in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of Vietnamese in the country grew by 37.9 percent. Today, about 1.7 million Vietnamese call the U.S. home. The Chinese rank first with 3.3 million, followed by Indian Asians at 2.8 million and Filipinos at 2.5 million.

Houston and Dallas rank third and fourth among U.S. cities with the largest Vietnamese population. More than 135,000 Vietnamese live in the Houston area, and about 110,000 Vietnamese live in the Dallas area.

To reach out to this growing ethnic group, a Vietnamese television station started broadcasting late last year in Houston and Dallas. VietFace TV Texas offers programming that celebrates Vietnamese personalities, achievements and culture. It broadcasts 24 hours daily on 55.5 in Dallas and 51.2 in Houston.

An official grand opening and ribbon cutting took place Dec. 12 at its offices at 1301 E. Arapaho Road in Richardson. About 150 guests attended the event, which included a lion dance. To learn more, contact Jennifer Nguyen at 214-274-4128.

Awards gala

The National Association of Asian American Professionals-DFW recently held its first awards gala at the Magnolia Hotel in Dallas. The theme was “A Night With the NAAAP Stars.” Organizers recognized top leaders in the area for their commitment to advancing the Asian-American community. Leaders of Excellence Awards went to Phuong Ton of Raytheon, Uyen Tran of the University of North Texas, Galileo Jumaoas of the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber, Tammy Nguyen Lee of Against the Grain Productions and Shannon Chen of Community Youth Leadership Camp. Two students, Shiva Acharya of Conrad High School in Dallas and Kaitlin Lok of Arlington High School, received scholarships.

The event included entertainment by singer June Marieezy and a Dancing With the NAAAP Stars competition. Guests included Amy Lewis Hofland of the Crow Collection, Tommy Vo of Southwestern National Bank and George Zhoa of the Chinese Lantern Festival. To learn more, visit naaapdfw.org.

New Year’s Eve

Backdoor Comedy will bring together popular comedians Paul Varghese and Aaron Aryanpur for a “New Year’s Eve Extravaganza” on Dec. 31. Varghese, who made it to the semifinals of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, grew up in Garland and earned a degree from the University of North Texas. His parents are from Kerala, India. Aryanpur, who has an Iranian background, lives in Frisco. Both comedians touch on their family heritage in their routines. The 8 p.m. show is $28; the 10:30 p.m. show is $45. Backdoor is inside the Doubletree Hotel, 8250 N. Central Expressway in Dallas. Call 214-328-4444 or visit backdoorcomedy.com.

Upcoming events

THURSDAY

The Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber will hold a holiday mixer and casino night from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, 6055 LBJ Freeway in Dallas. $10 for nonmembers. 972-241-8250.

SATURDAY

The Fort Worth Japanese Society presents a Kadomatsu workshop with John Powell from 10 a.m. to noon at the Yamagata Center, 3608 Park Lake Drive in Fort Worth. $20-$25. Registration required. 817-829-4335.

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